News & Views

All too often we look at our website only from our own perspective -- what does our organization want to say and how do we want to present that information? But it's critical that our sites give visitors what they want and need. So take a step back. Start thinking like a visitor -- and take a long, hard look at your site to ensure your design meets the needs of your audience.

Eye-catching visuals, bullets of information describing your organization, easy-to-navigate pages ... these are some of the essential ingredients of a good website.

The guiding principle is to create a website that is user-friendly in every way possible. Everyone, even inexperienced surfers, should be able to navigate it easily. You want to encourage visitors to return, so keep these suggestions in mind:

• Less is more with your home page design.
  Display a brief but descriptive version of your mission statement. Explain what you do, how you do it and why. Include additional links visitors can click on to learn more details about your organization.
• Make sure your website loads quickly.
  Surfers want immediate gratification when they make the initial contact with your site, and chances are they will only stick around if they get a fast-loading page that lets them start their site exploration quickly. Avoid large graphic files and pictures that make pages load slowly.
• Keep the visitor in mind.
  Be creative with your design but keep your hyperlinks in the normal blue color to indicate they have not been selected and purple to indicate they have. Use bullets, descriptive headlines, and sub texts to simplify finding information. Make it easy for visitors to contact you. Provide your phone number, email address, and web address on every page. This facilitates return visits to your website.
• An easy way to donate.
  Online fundraising should be an essential component of your organization's Internet presence. Set up your site to allow for quick and secure online donations. Provide an address for where to send a check as an alternate method of payment. Include information about how you use the money. Want them to sign up for your newsletter? Ask for basic information needed to add them to the list. Don't inundate them with too many questions that are not necessary.
• Get to know us.
  Include a section or page (usually "About Us" or "About Organization Name") which describes specifics about what you do, some of your staff, and how to contact the organization.
• Don't reinvent the wheel.
  Your visitors have been to many other sites before, and are used to a generally accepted format. Be sure you have a good reason before breaking the most established rules:
  
  • The navigation bar is on the left or at the top of the site
  • Your logo is in the upper left corner, and links to your homepage
  • Horizontal scrolling is not required (vertical scrolling is fine)
  • Links are underlined
  • The back button always takes you to the previously viewed page

An attractive and straightforward design gives your organization a platform for presenting itself in the best possible way. Remember, too, it's not just the design that counts -- it's clearly written and compelling copy as well.

For further information, go to:
www.makingthenetwork.org/toolbox/tools/webguide.htm
www.ephilanthropyfoundation.org
www.fdncenter.org